Starting the new year pregnant involved sleeping intermittently between 10 - 12pm, waking up for the London fireworks on TV, toasting the new year with Appletiser and then heading to bed. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't my ideal way to celebrate.
We were in Cornwall at a lovely cottage with friends and we had spent the few days before exploring the local area and eating a lot. It was a great way to spend out our last child-free new year.
After our new year mini-break it was back to work. I'm lucky enough to get to work from home so the transition wasn't as bad as it was for Laura who had to get dressed and go to her office. On the Thursday I did venture into London though and remembered to order my 'Baby on Board' badge. While 13 week pregnant me had no limitations getting around I thought it was getting in case I needed it later on.
We also were lucky enough be lent a doppler by Laura's colleague so we could hear Tater-Tots heart beat at home. Our first attempts were not hugely successful but over time we have figured out where Tater-Tot is hanging out and manage to find it first time - turns out they are super low, like just above my pubic bone. The bump is just all my organs being pushed up as the placenta grows. Fun fact.
January included a trip to Birmingham Women's for the first time for a blood test. Sadly the nuchal translucence reading at our first scan hadn't been conclusive - Tater-Tot refused to lay still making the reading hard- so I needed a further blood test that thankfully came back with a 1/1000 chance of downs.. The visit in itself was crazy. Turns our Birmingham Women's isn't just for maternity - as I had first thought - but all kinds of women's things. That led to the car park being manic.
After parking Tater-Tot and I had a quick jog to the hospital but that was just the start. On arrival reception sent me towards maternity, that desk sent me towards pre-natel, they sent me towards the baby unit who eventually pointed me towards an area where I had to grab a ticket and head to waiting area for blood tests. My fit bit step count appreciated the tour, I did not.
For the 15 minutes of walking the wait for the blood test was almost 45 so I was well and truly rested for my 2 minute blood test. Then a quick sprint back to get to the car park 2 minutes before my hour expired and the ticket price went up from £2.60 (extortionate) to £5+ (super extortionate). Hopefully all future blood tests can happen at our local doctors.
It's definitely more of a mind screw than I thought. Without any real way of telling if Tater-Tot is developing as they should. I really freaked out after reading an article on how you shouldn't eat ham - I have eaten a fair amount of ham as a source of protein. Then there was the article that said don't eat any sandwich meat without heating it. How are you meant to survive business meetings where the only option is sandwiches?! These last few weeks I have panicked more about the fact that I could have eaten the wrong thing and impacted Tater-Tot more than anything else. It doesn't help that there is so many mixed messages either.
As we headed to Gran Canaria to meet my parents for a weeks break I made a list of everything I planned to eat that week, other than meals out I was sticking to a breakfast cereal then toast, eggs and canned spaghetti with a dessert of yogurt. It may not have been the healthiest but it was nutritious enough to cover the basics and avoided eating anything I shouldn't.
For meals out I was more adventurous and after a long debate even had a Chinese buffet. We had selected a restaurant based on reviews but on turning up that restaurant was closed so we picked another one that looked super busy - meaning the food would be quickly replenished, avoiding the 'don't eat food that has been sat out for too long' rule.
The holiday itself was a lovely opportunity to relax. The weather wasn't great but we explored a lot of the island at a relaxed pace and it was nice to be away, you can get read all about it here. I even got to feel Tater-Tots move for the first time while laid out on the sunbed. Another personal highlight was the ability to swim, I wished I could get my butt in gear and go in the UK, but it was nice to take advantage while away.
After a week back at work we were lucky enough to have a mini-break in Wales courtesy of Upper House and Spa. It was so good to get away just the two of us (plus bump and Bisbee) and explore a new place. We had arrived Friday evening after a 2 hour drive and were immediately welcomed by our host Emily. After showing us around the property we then had a treat of an afternoon tea set up. All food was pregnancy friendly and so, so good - a perfect - well fed start to the weekend.
As Upper House and Spa was well located to explore the local area we took advantage by making a short drive out to the local town to see the castle and walk around. In all honesty though the barn was so cosy and comfy that we were more than happy to relax there. With a log fire, kitchen and TV with wide selection of channels it was everything we needed. The other benefit was the onsite spa - that Laura got to use - it was small cabin with beds positioned to overlook the surrounding valley. Although as we visited in the evening it was an opportunity to star gaze.
It was like a baby moon and gave us some much needed time together. We can't thank Upper House and Spa enough. You can read the full review here.
We are so looking forward to the 20 week scan to make sure everything is okay and to see how big Tater-Tot has got.
I think I will be taking a pack lunch with me for the foreseeable future as I can't take the pressure of making a wrong choice.
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