Lara Percival

Month: January 2017

  • Into Week 19

    My jeans are starting to get tight, so much to your Dad’s dismay, I’ve been shopping for pregnancy trousers and dresses.

    Wanted to start sharing the app is telling me about you and I as we are growing. Enjoy!

    All About Us

    Your baby is about the size of a mango 15cm (head to bottom) and weighs about 240g…

    Your growing baby

    Vernix Caseosa is now covering the whole of your baby’s body. This is a greasy white substance made from a mixture of lanugo, dead skin cells and oil and is vital to protect your baby from the effects of the amniotic fluid. Without it your baby’s skin would have the prune-like appearance of having had a nine month bath! Some babies are born with vernix still on their skin, especially if they are premature.

    In the brain, nerve cells that have the job of specialising for the sensory systems of taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing are forming complex connections. At this stage sensory development is accelerating and your baby will be aware of many sounds and also any stress that you may be feeling.

    The arms and legs are now in the correct proportions, the kidneys continue producing urine and fine hair is growing on the scalp.

    What’s happening to you

    From now on your pregnancy bump will grow faster in the weeks to come. Your abdomen may ache and you may experience some stabbing pains in your side. The pains are caused by stretching of the abdominal ligaments that support your uterus to allow for the increased weight. These pains are quite normal but do contact your GP if they become persistent or severe.

    The extra oestrogen that is flowing around your body may be causing changes in your skin. Red palms and pigment patches called chloasma may appear as a butterfly-shaped mask across the face. This looks darker on fair skin and light on dark skin. You may also notice that your nipples darken as well as any freckles and scars on your skin.

    You may also notice a dark line running from your pubic bone up to your navel. Known as ‘linea nigra’, this is more prominent on darker skin. All this pigmentation is temporary and disappears soon after birth.

    Need to know

    Things for you to consider during week 19 of your pregnancy:

    • Consider doing some gentle yoga exercises. Yoga has the double benefit of being de-stressing and re-aligning your muscles.
    • Other activities you could try which are excellent during pregnancy include swimming, walking, stationary cycling, prenatal aerobics and aqua-fit classes. Your midwife may know of some existing classes in your area.
    • Your skin may be more sensitive to the sun than usual, so use a moisturiser that contains UVA protection and cover any exposed skin with a protection factor of at least 15 before going outside.
    • Pregnancy hormones can weaken your nails, so protect them from splitting and breaking by wearing gloves when doing household chores and gardening.
    • If your feet are uncomfortable check your shoe size. The hormone relaxing along with fluid retention can cause your feet to get larger so you may need a bigger shoe size.

  • It’s A Boy! Nope It’s A Girl! What?

    Well Little One, seems your midwife at the hospital read your sex wrong, you’re not a boy, your a girl!

    We will let you into a little secret, your Dad and I wanted you to be a girl. We can’t wait to bake with you, play in the garden with you,. do your hair and work with Dad in the garage wielding tools and helping wash the cars.

  • Planning your arrival 

    Well we are now well and truely into the house renovations to get ready for your arrival, I have now finished the bathroom and now demolishing the kitchen much to your mummy’s annoyance, I was making quite a racket and your mummy was trying to relax in the bath. But it will be all worth it on the end. 
    Once I have finish the kitchen I will be starting your room, me and mummy haven’t decided on a theme or colour yet but we will decide a bit closer to the time. 
    We’re now heading into week 18 and mummy has seen Sharron the midwife to make sure everything is going ok and get a few questions answered, Sharron tried to listen to your heart beat but every time she found it you moved away, you really are living up to your nick name of wriggled bear. Mummy’s clothes are also getting tight so off to the shops to get more clothes so you have more room to wriggle around. 

  • Into Week 17 – Still no real bump

    Hey Little One,

    Just hit week 17 of carrying you and still not feeling it. No real bump to speak of, I just feel like I’ve gained Christmas weight and my jeans are a bit tight.

    Got your Dad rubbing tummy butter on my tummy before I go to sleep, so you can probably feel that. He always lays a hand on you to see if he can feel you moving. So far he has been disappointed.

    According to my app, you are now large enough to fit into the palm of my hand. You really are growing.

    Got the 20 week scan in a few weeks – half way to meeting you. The scan will probably be the last time we will get to see you before we ACTUALLY see you.

    Your Dad has a lot to do, he has spent the weekend and this week building the new cabinets that are going into the kitchen. He will be soon ripping the kitchen out to fit the new one, complete with dishwasher and wine / baby bottle rack!

    We are both looking forward to meeting you.

  • Amnio Results Day

    I received the call I have been waiting for since the test on Thursday last week. The midwife rang with good news, the tests came back normal. Your Dad and I are relieved. 

    We also found out what you are today, you’re a boy! Your Dad and I are not entirely in agreement regarding your name yet, but we have 5 months to find something we like and agree that on. 

    I also told your Nanny Helen, she is so excited! She can’t wait to see you in my arms. Honestly, I can’t wait to hold you, and see your Dad hold you. So excited!

    Your Dad was at work when I got the call, but sent him a photo of my blue nails, I was shaking so much, he couldn’t tell what colour it was and called me straight away. He says he’s on cloud 9, and can’t wait to meet his son. 

  • Amnio Day

    Your Dad and I went to the hospital today for the amnio test. I was so nervous and your Dad did everything he could to chill me out. Your Dad is an awesome guy who I can’t wait for you to meet. He puts his head on my tummy to see if he can feel you wriggling about. Nothing yet. 

    The procedure was strange, the doctor was prodding you with the ultrasound scanner to get you to move out of the way, you didn’t like it one bit. Once you’d moved he jabbed me with the needle, which hardly hurt at all, but when then needle penetrated my uterus and your lil bubble it felt so strange, never felt anything quite like it. Your Dad was watching the whole thing on the screen. 

    Before we went in, we were asked if we wanted to know whether you were a girl or a boy, as they can tell from the results, we said yes straight away. Monday or Tuesday next week, we will know if you are ok. Can’t wait. 

    I’ve figured out a great way of telling your Dad, he will be working a late shift next week, so is going to be at work when I find out. I’ve figured a fun way of telling him what you are…

    Boy

    Girl

  • Scary Results

    We got some scary news yesterday evening from the hospital. My blood test results came back as high risk for Downs Sydrome. I’m not going to lie, when I got the news, I broke down in floods of tears and sobbed until your Dad left work early and came home to comfort me. I called him the moment I got the news. He left work straight away to be by my side and comfort me. 

    This morning, your Dad and I went to the Maternity Day Unit at the hospital to talk to the specialist about our options. We have a 1 in 115 chance that you will have Downs. So, staying as positive as we can, you have a 99.5% chance you will be perfectly normal.

    Tomorrow, your Dad and I will head back to the hospital in the same unit to have an Amniocentesis Test. It involves injecting a fine needle through my tummy into your amniotic fluid around you, and take a sample of around 10mm so it can be sent away for testing. This test will give us a definite answer.

    I hope you’re ok, our Little Wriggly Bear.

  • Happy New Year

    Happy New Year Wriggly Bear 😊 Well it’s 12 o clock in the afternoon on the 01/01/17 and me and Mummy are still in bed. Last night we had a small party as we do ever new year, and had some family around Nanny Flo and Grandad Ernie, who are your Daddy’s Mum and Dad, and dreaded in laws to your Mummy, Auntie Debbie and Uncle Jason, who are Daddy’s sister and brother in law and their little boy Jayden who will be your cousin. Nanny Flo had a little to much to drink and shot mummy in the face with a Nerf gun, but apart from that everyone had a great time.

    Laying in bed cuddling with mummy I can’t help feeling very emotional about all the good things that will happen this year. I feel 2017 is going to be busy and very fun packed and not to mention all the fun we are going to have when you arrive. 

  • Our Trip To Kiddicare

    Now we know your arrival is imminent, we took a trip to Kiddicare, a store for all the things we would need to look after you. We looked round and found a travel system we liked but couldn’t get much info about it, so took the name and decided to see what we could find when we got home. We did leave with an egg travel bed for when we take you away places.
    So when we got home we found your travel system cheaper and more locally so off we trotted and pick it up. After a bit of fiddling about I managed to construct all parts, and are now sitting in your room awaiting your arrival.

    As you can see, Nismo our little black cat helped me and she can’t wait to meet you.