Pregnancy Update: Week 15

I came to the sudden realisation the other day that I'd missed two weeks of pregnancy updates. Sorry about that - this seems to be what happens when you're pregnant (or, when I'm pregnant anyway!). You can have the best intentions with everything, but then sleep or planning for the future or doctor's appointments take over, and suddenly you find you've missed that party you said you'd try to pop along to, and come to the sudden realisation that you had an appointment with your bank manager two weeks ago which you never turned up to. 'Baby brain' hasn't been helping the situation either...more on that later.

Right now, I have just entered week 16 and our baby is about 12 cms long (an Avocado this week!), and weighs nearly 100 grams.

Bumpdate

When I'm alone with the bump, I think I'm really huge. My body has started to feel a little more cumbersome than it was before, and I'm now permanently into my maternity jeans on my down days.

Luckily for me, I have a great set of friends to bring me down to earth with a bump ('scuse the pun). The girls at work joke that my bump looks exactly like theirs does after lunch. The Essex girls took one look at a recent photo and said "Why are you sticking your stomach out like that to make it look bigger?!" OK, I concede, it's not massive yet, but it's definitely there! Look!!

(and yes, you might have noticed that my tummy button looks like it is about to pop out...it's freaking me out!).

Symptoms

So I've already mentioned the baby brain. Most of the time I can contain it by being extra organised, but other times it can be really embarrassing. That guy that has sat behind me at work for forever? Yeah, I forgot his name last week. I've also been incredibly sleepy a lot of the time and I've been napping most days after work. My social life has taken a bit of a nose dive as a result, but you know what, I'm OK with that!

Despite the sleepiness towards the end of the day, I have noticed a considerable lifting of my energy during daylight hours, and this has been accompanied by a generally more upbeat and positive outlook on everything. Pregnancy hormones have settled by this stage, and bar the occasional emotional outburst (sorry Mr S!), I have been pretty happy and chilled.

I'm still drinking water by the gallon-load and getting up to go to the toilet every single night, which I have finally got used to. Want to know the best bit though? My appetite has returned!! I've gone off fish in a big way, and am a little pickier about what I eat, but I am now constantly grazing. In fact, I'm chomping on a bowl of chopped banana and yoghurt right now as I type.

What I've been eating

Porridge is my staple go-to breakfast item, and throughout the day I gorge on anything healthy that I can get my hands on: fruit salads, yoghurt, crudites and humus, homemade soups and smoothies, veggie pasta dishes, cheese and crackers with grapes, baked sweet potatoes with beans... Mr Sunshine has been treating me like a toddler (practicing maybe?!) and sneaking food that he thinks I should be eating and I'm not getting enough of into my meals, meaning that I sometimes end up with a little more than I bargained for. Thanks hubby!

How I've been feeling

Just over a week ago, we had another scan, this time at a brand new maternity clinic, which is so much better than the hospital we had been visiting before. This time around, not only were we given the chance to ask all of the questions that we have been bursting to ask for so long, but we got to see our little one in all their glory on a 4D scan! For those of you that have no idea what this is, Google it - it's pretty much the best invention I've ever come across. We watched our little monkey wriggling around for a full 10 minutes, and we were told that when we come back in three weeks time, they will definitely be able to tell us the gender! After this scan, I felt like I was walking on air for days, and I don't think I've quite hit the ground yet. Being able to see our baby's tiny fingers and toes, their tiny scrunched-up eyes and iddy button nose was one of the most monumental and life-affirming moments I have ever experienced.

In between these light as air moments though, things have begun to get a little serious. We're busy researching the baby's passport and Resident's Permit process (who knew that having a baby in Qatar came with so much admin attached?!), and making big decisions about money and maternity leave and housing and the all important which-pram-is-the-best-one-to-buy-type decisions. All of this has the potential to become all too stressful, but we're determined not to let it consume us. Besides, we have a super mummy advisor in my friend Donna, who gave birth out here earlier this year and knows everything there is to know about everything, and is willing to offer advice wherever we need it. Couldn't do this without you Don!

What I've been wearing

Two words: Belly Band.

Products I've been using

I have enjoyed using the dr. organic Manuka Honey Skin Lotion so much, that I decided to try the face scrub too. It's not the best at removing my make-up at the end of the day, but it smells heavenly, and so far has kept any hormone-related breakouts at bay.

Organic Manuka Honey Face Scrub by dr. organic

Baby bits

We can't seem to go shopping anywhere these days without returning with a few items. How adorable are these latest purchases?!

Rabbit onesie from Mothercare

Queen's guards t-shirt from the Houses of Parliament Gift Shop (we are proper London tourists these days!!)

Link of the week

I recently discovered that one of my old school friends Milly has also been blogging about her pregnancy experience, and her posts are so heart-warming and beautiful! She's a little ahead of me in her pregnancy journey, so if you're interested in what's happening a little further into the second trimester, then check out her beautiful blog Pearls & Poodles.

Final words

My best friend from school, Tania arrives in Doha tonight for a few nights' stay. I can't wait to have someone from home here to share all of this with; feeling a bit isolated from loved ones has been one of the biggest struggles since I became pregnant. One thing that's becoming clearer and clearer as the weeks go on is the importance of family and friends. Yup, I think pregnancy might just have turned me into a sentimental old fool!