Pull up a pew and tell us about your stage of pregnancy

[IonaMumsnet]

Hi folks!

We're after picking your collective brains if anyone has a few minutes.

We're putting together some new content on pregnancy and what goes on at every stage, and we'd love to hear your experiences - which month of the pregnancy you're in, how you're feeling physically and emotionally, any weird and wonderful pregnancy symptoms you have, as well as what you're enjoying about this time of pregnancy (and possibly, what you're not!). Whatever you like really!

We'd just like to be able to use Mumsnetters' experiences to build a sort of timeline of pregnancy for others to look at as they go on the same journey and be able to find advice and benefit from the experiences of those who have been there before.

If you're able to help, please do scribble down any thoughts here and let us know what month of your pregnancy you're in and what's going on with you right now.

Many thanks in advance.

Now in week 33 of my first pregnancy. Just to put the flip side as no-one ever posts when things have gone well. I was totally shattered early on but very mild nuasea pretty much only when travelling and no sickness.
Started feeling fluttering movements about 18 weeks, was running until 29 weeks and doing outdoor fitness stuff. Only since then have things started to hurt.
Getting harder to sleep now, if the bed is too soft I get hip pain, turning over wakes me up and I get heartburn if I eat too much, too late or chilli and tomatoes. The tiredness (plus other life stress) has made me down and emotional but if I'm still only actually up once or twice in the night for the loo so I can sometimes get a stretch of sleep of 5 hours, which really helps.
Still able to climb 3 or 4 stories of stairs at work, admittedly 4 needs a bit of a breather!
Pelvic and side of bump pain if I sit in one position too long. Slight piles - urgh! No swollen ankles or fingers.
I can feel that it's getting tougher and it won't be a breeze for the rest of the 3rd trimester but I don't want people to think every pregnancy is horrendous.
Seeing the growing bump, watching it move, talking to people about how it's going, getting lots of compliments about the bump/pregnancy are all fab. I actually wish people wanted to touch the bump no-one aside from my family have asked.

30 weeks with DC2. Don't believe it when people talk about glowing in the second trimester. I've felt mainly knackered throughout this pregnancy.

Also heartburn, constipation and farting like a fog horn as a pp said. All of these were new to me this time.

Pregnancy is hard on the body. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

39+4 here and feeling surprisingly good. Have been lucky to have an easy pregnancy. I worked up until 38+3 and was starting to struggle towards the end with tiredness and sore feet but since I've been on maternity leave for the past week have really enjoyed being able to slow down, get a few jobs done and catch up with friends rather than be exhausted all the time. Not really in a rush for baby to arrive but also starting to feel worried about the idea of induction so hoping he makes a timely appearance.

Main struggles I've had at this stage have been the heat and sleeping in the heat. My DH and I have had quite a few nights in separate rooms towards the end of this pregnancy as I have started snoring and recently have wanted to sleep with the fan on. Other than that again I've been lucky that I've continued to sleep well throughout.

Main craving at the moment is ice lollies :)

11+3 here and starting to feel human again. The nausea and super-smell have just worn off in the last week, now am waiting eagerly for the crippling exhaustion to ease up a bit!

I'm 26 and 17 weeks first baby. I had some nausea for a month in the first trimester and that disappeared I seem to be lacking energy now and more anxious/annoyed at things hoping to see MH team. I also have hip/buttock pain and a numb thigh going to SPD classes run by nhs next week hoping for some relief, I have also shown quite quickly look about 6 months already lol

I'm 26 and 17 weeks with baby number 1. Feeling great, I've been very lucky so far with minimal symptoms. Trapped, painful wind in first two weeks and nothing really since. I've had a few spots on my temples and feel more tired than usual. I've had a huge appetite and been very emotional throughout. People are already commenting on my huge bump, saying it must be a little boy as its so big 😂

40+4 today...

Pregnancy has been super chilled and easy until now!

Going overdue - be warned you start to go a little crazy! The brutal truth :

• Eating a ton of pineapple
• cooking curries/ spicy food every night
• walking loads even though you are hobbling by the time you get back and got caught out once on a country jaunt and had to pee in a bush.... (Squatting for an outdoors wee when 40 weeks pregnant... Not my finest moment and not easy!)
• suddenly pouncing on your husband morning, noon and night and demanding doggy
• lower back pain... Ouch
• nightly relaxing hypno baths when the weather is 30 degrees... Not ideal
• getting annoyed at the constant 'any movement?' texts from friends and family but then bitterly hating those who haven't bothered to check up on you!
• crying every morning that yesterday wasn't the day
• getting excited at your snotty discharge and searching for blood in it
• hooking yourself up to a breastpump even though your boobs are empty just to use nipple stimulation to kickstart labour
• trying not to kill the next person that uses the line 'baby will come when he's ready'
• the looming possibility of induction hanging over your head and not having the birth you planned for
• eating a lot of crap food to make yourself feel better, including a couple of those things you haven't eaten throughout your entire pregnancy because you shouldn't
• knowing you must look heavily pregnant when even the guy at the till in Aldi is slowing down to help you pack your shopping at your pace...
• fearing going anywhere but dreading another day indoors again alone
• not being comfortable sitting anywhere and taking your birthing ball along to your mother in laws bbq
• thinking that was your last shave 'down there' before labour only to have to do the mammoth job again only a few days later when you haven't gone into labour
• last minute second guessing of baby name
• was that a twinge?! i swear it was a mini contraction twinge thing! Come back! Stay!....
• farts... No just more trapped wind...
• googling everything
• secretly despising every newborn that appears on your facebook newsfeed because they beat you
• trashing the house that you nested the hell out of in weeks 38/9
• hubby making you feel bad that he has another day at work ahead of him
• doubting your due date
• encouraging your midwife to really take her time on a sweep to really get the job done
• second guessing whether you're feeling baby movements or 'tightenings'
• watching 6 episodes of my kitchen rules australia in a row
• the perfectly packed hospital bag and snack bag now raided and looted and spread out all over your car boot
• buying more baby clothes to make yourself feel better
• relishing in the terrified look on people's faces when you tell them baby was due X days ago like they suddenly think your waters will break any second... I wish!
• not knowing if your waters are even going to break first or how you'll even know your in proper labour after days of 'pre labour' fun
• all the unwanted advice from others of how they got their labours going like you haven't already been trying it daily for the last three weeks

I'm sure there is more! But this gives you a good idea of Week 40!!!

(and I have had the most positive, easygoing pregnancy so far... Feeling blessed everyday and thinking what a miracle the whole thing is. Going ovedue has just bought out the devil in me!!)

27 weeks - feel pretty much as normal, just bigger!

I feel like so much is talked about morning sickness, etc, that it scares women who don't have it - there are loads of posts on here "I don't have any symptoms, have I miscarried?" and then you read the post and the woman has sore breasts, is really tired and is basically only worried because she doesn't have sickness.

I've had two pregnancies and had no sickness whatsoever in either. The only symptom I've really had full stop is tiredness - for certain periods of the first trimester.

Obviously, pregnancy is really tough on some women but I feel like there's a bit of scaremongering, it isn't awful for everyone by any means.

I'm 36 weeks today. I feel good. Frequent Braxton Hicks over the last few weeks, which can be painful at times. Would do most normal stuff if I could - shopping, housework, sex (not in order of preference!). My legs ache as I go up stairs, and my "downstairs" is uncomfortable. Appetite was huge but now reducing. I'm in hospital for monitoring and may well be induced soon (I'm diabetic). Looking forward to meeting our baby, and seeing DD become a sister. She loves kissing my bump and talking about the baby, which melts my heart.

37 weeks today, struggling with breathlessness and back pain. We have very steep stairs and by the time I reach the attic, (where all the baby stuff is in boxes as the nursery is still under construction) my lungs are on fire. Too much standing in the hot weather makes my feet and ankles swell up (thanks for not letting me sit down, people at bus station ), getting lots of movement, fun but quite uncomfortable. Still suffering with constipation (been like that for the whole way so far). In spite of these and all the other side effects, I'm enjoying being pregnant, I love my bump and am in no rush to lose it. Everyone keeps saying "Not long now!" and I find it weirdly upsetting, I'd happily do a few more months of pregnancy if I'm honest.

Thank you for sharing your stories, everyone! These are lovely. Is making us feel slightly broody (even for the swollen ankles, heartburn and puking). Please do keep em coming!

I'm 13 weeks and 3d. Sadly I'm still suffering with morning sickness, which can get a little tedious at times! I've had the morning sickness for as long as I can remember, and I've actually lost weight because of it due to going off food.

Apart from the morning sickness though, I'm feeling genuinely well as a being.

I am 36 +4 days I am looking forward to finishing work but nervous about having more time off with ds (some days I struggle to keep up with him he is 3yr old). I feel sore when I get up in the morning like I have rearranged gravity around me. My scan has shown my baby keeps kicking my chest so I am out of breath a lot. I can't walk too far as I have pelvic pain. Plus side I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, I am looking forward to organising some bits to get ready. I only get sick if I get up too early or I am tired but my dh is lovely and gets up with ds everyday at 6am. I can't eat too much so I don't feel guilty about my food intake and I have 2 baby showers coming up so I get to catch up with some lovely people.

Nearly 28 weeks here with DS2 and he is moving around more than ever. It feels like he's got 16 arms and legs
Pelvic pain and back pain has started.
Have to sleep in a nest of eleventy million pillows.
Only had two episodes of heartburn so far but it's at the same stage I had it with DS1.
Emotionally and physically struggling a bit with looking after a rampaging nearly 3 year old.
Not really thought about the birth or hospital bag yet.
Appetite is up and down but I'm trying to keep healthy. Have only put on around 9lb and am walking a lot.

I'm 5+2 with my first.

So far only very, very sore boobs and I've gone off coffee totally and not as keen on milk or tea. Bit worried about nausea and sickness hitting in the next week or two. Had some period type pains, particularly in the lower right abdomen, so a bit worried about Ectopic but no bleeding so my GP doesn't think it is a real problem at the moment. However, despite the sore boobs I am making the most of sleeping on my front!

The one thing that is a real surprise is that, as soon as I found out, my mental health (I already have depression/anxiety) really spiralled out of control. Whether this was due to hormones or normal maternal anxiety just a bit out of control I don't know. I've been terrified about how I will cope, how we'll raise a happy and healthy child, miscarriage, illness in the baby etc. Bit scary really.

Otherwise very early Pregnancy is not too bad.

23 weeks and STILL throwing up. I believed morning sickness disappeared at 12 weeks. Well apparently not in all cases.
Also shocked at how tired I am all the time. I could easily go to bed when my DS does, at 8 pm every night.

5+5, second pregnancy.
With my first by this point I only had some ligament pain.
This time I have nausea if I go too long without eating (by too long I mean 2-3 hours!). Heartburn which I'm already on omeprazole for (this didn't start till 10 weeks last time). And SPD has already started. Also the fatigue coupled with insomnia has kicked in.
Pregnancy just doesn't suit me!

34 weeks with twins here. Feeling surprisingly good. I have cankles and sausage feet - and I can't bend over - but aside from that, I've got lots of energy, shiny hair (loving the pregnancy hair!) and I can't wait to meet my babies in a couple of weeks' time.

My top tip - drink LOADS of water. I've been drinking about 3 litres a day. It helps keep braxton hicks away, prevents (some of the) night time leg spasms and has also helped with the heartburn. You'll be going to the loo all the time anyway so might as well get stuck into the water.

I'm not pregnant any more but please hear me out...

I used a heap of different apps for my last pregnancy (DS is nearly 4 months) and they ALL (including the MN app) abandoned me at 40 weeks with "yay, your baby is due!!" And then there was nothing.

But I went 10 days overdue. And that kind of situation needs almost daily NEW content to keep you going.

To contribute to this stage, if my memory serves me (it probably doesn't):

I'd gone from being Ready for birth to sinking into terror. Every day that went by I got more anxious, 'knowing' that the risk of still birth increased (it may not be true, or it may be minimal but it was something that stuck in my mind). I started to believe that this was just me, I wasn't pregnant, just fat! (Irrational, I know) I didn't want to go out anywhere, just in case, or start anything. I was too huge to enjoy a bath, or sleep. And to my amazement I kept on getting bigger (and I was lucky not to suffer from swelling).

Of course, then there was the unmistakable feeling of your entire friends and family desperately trying not to bug you with their excitement. Even monitored remotely, the watched pot wasn't boiling!

And then there's the joy of sweeps and the threat of induction. (And the fear of the associated risks). Everyone's heard an induction horror story.

Hope that's useful...

(It was a wonderful time which I hope never to experience again!)

Almost 8 weeks with my second. Tired, hungry, bloated already and feeling worried about how the hell ok going to cope with two.. Super tired but not sure if that's pregnancy or running around after a 16 month old.
Feeling queasy but nowhere near as bad as before, really wanting basic food / 8 year olds dinners like sausage and chips, fish fingers and waffles! Not feeling my normal healthy-ish meals. Gone right off salad!

Hi,24+2 with my 5th, feeling quite good apart from every now and then getting awful heartburn (never had this before) and not liking it!

Also getting a lot of Brixton hicks and feeling baby move around lots

I'm 8 weeks tomorrow. Feeling completely exhausted even though I'm going to bed for about 11 hours a night. Notice I say 'going to bed' not 'sleeping' - this is because of frequent trips to the loo and aches all over, particularly my hips. I look really bloated but I'm sure it can't be a bump yet - can it? Sore boobs, no sex drive, bad hair day every day, acne and general grumpiness. On the plus side, the nausea has gone.

5+1

Feeling impatient for the miscarriage worry to go away. Counting down to my early scan. Feeling slightly nauseous and very tired. Very worried due to previous miscarriages so constantly checking to see if I'm bleeding. Roll on week 12!

Just 4+5. My third pregnancy and hopefully second baby.

I'm eating as much healthy stuff as I can before painful indigestion, food aversions and morning sickness hit, which was on 6+1 on both previous pregnancies. My stomach already swells and feels sore when I eat and my appetite had gone, so I think it'll be the same this time.

I'm also surprised to find that I already have swollen ankles and feel faint, which happened later during previous pregnancies. I'm not as tired and I'm not having weird dreams though but that may just be due to the fact that I'm now used to being woken up every couple of hours during the night by my son.

The thing that's hardest about the really early days is that there is so little evidence. I have a pack of five cheap test strips which I'm using to test every other day so I feel reassured by the line darkening and a twin pack of the digital ones that confirm the date which I'll use on 21 and 28 dpo so I can see 3-4 and 4+ weeks. After that I'll try not to test any more!

My ten month old is breastfeeding a lot still and has been really grumpy and unsettled about feeding, sleeping and about me generally, so I'm wondering if my hormones are affecting him and hoping that he'll get used to them and we can continue the feeding as much as he wants. Luckily, I'm not yet finding it painful or nauseating as some do.

30+2 here. First pregnancy. Feel like I am on the home stretch now! Ready for it to be over. Finally invested in some non-underwire bras and it is a revelation! Can finally breath again. Sitting at a desk all day has given me constant back ache. Heart burn is my new best friend apparently- won't leave me alone! Considering starting my maternity leave earlier than 37 weeks as just knackered all the time. Feel sorry for my OH as I cuddle my pillow more than him. Leaky boobs have been here since about 16 weeks, but I was really lucky with almost no morning sickness. Feet have swollen up but managed to keep all other weight off- if anything I think I lost one of my chins so bonus! But all the moaning aside when I go into the nursery and see all those tiny clothes ready for him I know it will all be worth it!