Before becoming pregnant, I had visions of the most amazing 9 months of my life. In one way, it is; it is beautiful and moving to know that I have a little person developing inside me especially now that I can feel her move. What I was not prepared for is that, it is not all plain sailing. I had heard stories about morning sickness and how draining that can be. I am very lucky from that perspective as I didn’t have any morning sickness. However, my biggest pregnancy challenge is my energy levels and my emotions.
Energy Levels and Emotions
I don’t wake up raring to go most days, I wish I could tell you that I do, but how I feel is normal and it is manageable as long as I get enough rest and sleep. I naturally have low blood pressure which does not help but it is something I have always had and I know how to manage it. As long as I am asleep by midnight at the latest then my energy levels are stable for the following day.
On the occasional night when we go out and it is more like 2 o’clock in the morning when I finally get to bed, the next day is tough. I certainly have more energy now that I am in my second trimester than in my first but my energy levels take longer to recover if I keep pushing myself which I have a habit of doing.
The hardest part of my pregnancy and it was something that I was not prepared for is my emotions. I am not sure if it is something that friends and family forget about once the baby arrives but it was something that no-one had mentioned and even in my pregnancy books, it doesn’t really get acknowledged. In my ‘Your NEW Pregnancy Bible‘ by Dr Anne Deans, which is a great book on the whole, the only reference to hormonal changes and emotions is 4 short lines on page 60 which says “Pregnancy is a time of great hormonal activity. Production of existing hormones is raised dramatically and new hormones are made specifically for pregnancy”.
The first 18 weeks were the hardest. My emotions were all over the place. I would start crying for no reason. I remember even attending a routine appointment with my Gynecologist and mid-conversation, I would start crying for no conscious reason. He has seen it so many times but he still asked whether I was crying because something had happened or was it pregnancy related. Nothing had happened, it was just my emotions. It was the first time he actually explained that what I am feeling is normal especially because the baby is a little girl. Once you get to 18 weeks, things will start to settle down he said and you will feel much more balanced.
On the whole, this is the case. I do feel a lot better but I still have days when I start crying from the morning. When this happens, I tell myself, it is fine and tomorrow will be a better day.
The 20 Week Scan
The 20 week scan, also called the anomaly scan, is done at 20 weeks, mid-pregnancy, and is done to check that the baby is developing normally. Although called the 20 week scan, it can actually be done any time from 18 to 20 weeks plus six days.
It takes approximately 1 hour and Dr Melina examined all our baby’s organs and took constant measurements including:
- The shape and structure of the baby’s head and brain
- Baby’s face
- Baby’s spine
- Baby’s heart and main arteries
- Baby’s stomach
- Baby’s arms, legs, hands and feet
- Baby’s kidneys
- The placenta, umbilical cord and the amniotic fluid
- Check three blood vessels (two arteries and a single vein)
By the end of it, I was getting restless but it was well worth it to get to the end to see our baby in 3D form. I am convinced that her nose, mouth and jaw are all her dad’s and that she will look a lot like him but the most important thing is that she is healthy and everything on the scan appears normal.
How Do I Feel Now?
I am now 23 weeks and have started feeling my little girl move. Are the emotional ups and downs worth it, of course they are. I just wish someone had told me before hand so at least I would know what to expect and know that what I am feeling is normal.
Our due date is around the 24th August 2018.
I hope that if you are experiencing the same as me, you now know that you are not alone and I am going through the same, as too are many other women. Be assured, it is all normal. My husband has been amazing. He doesn’t always understand how I feel but that is my fault because I expect him to know instinctly which isn’t fair and isn’t possible. When I explain to him how I feel, he understands and does whatever he can to help.
If you have any specific pregnancy related questions, please send me a message.
Have a fabulous week!
