Pregnancy Update: Weeks 19-20

Bumpdate

Bump definitely became more pronounced and rounder this fortnight. The little one is now the length of a banana and 320 grams, which is frankly huge in my book!

I am 20 weeks and 5 days today, which meant that we have just reached some very important pregnancy milestones. Last weekend was not only the halfway point in my pregnancy, but we also had our 20 week anomaly scan to check for any abnormalities and see if we could see our baby's gender. More on this in a minute!!

Symptoms

I've had a few headaches this week. I don't know whether it's because I haven't been drinking enough water or if it's down to hormones, but waking up with a pounding head is becoming more and more common. I am continuing to keep a litre bottle of water on my bedside table so that I can pour myself a glass whenever I wake up in the night in bid to ward them off.

I've also been experiencing a bit of round ligament pain in my abdomen, which is perfectly normal as the baby grows, but can be quite an annoyance when trying to find a comfortable position at night. I am definitely investing in a pregnancy pillow to prop me up and keep me comfortable as soon as I can.

A much nicer symptom has been feeling the baby's kicks get firmer and more noticeable. Mr Sunshine and I watched Jurassic World last weekend, and true to form, I was absolutely terrified the whole way through. As the film reached its climax, the baby started reacting to every scary scene with kicks and flips and punches. They obviously hate frightening films as much as their mummy does!

What I've been eating

I've been quite naughty this week, with chips, crisps and cake making up far too much of my diet, and as a result I have vowed to eat a lot more healthily from this point onwards.

These snacks by Melissa's are a healthy alternative to a donut or chocolate bar, and just as satisfying.

Melissa's Pumpkin Seed Clean Snax with Chia and Flaxseed, available in Doha from Spinneys

How I've been feeling

I think this is an appropriate time in the post to tell you all how super excited, ecstatic and over the moon we are to announce that we will shortly be having a little baby GIRL!!!

When we went for our 20 week scan, I cried on my OB's table for what felt like the umpteenth time. The scan had revealed that our baby was growing well and showing all of the signs of being healthy. Then, when she told us that we were expecting a girl, I cried all over again, not because I was desperate to have a girl over a boy, but because we finally knew who our little daughter really was. It was a very emotional day for Mr Sunshine and me, filled with phone calls to family, planning for the future, and of course some inevitable baby girl dress shopping!

I'm not sure how we managed to do it, but we kept our news a secret from everyone else until last night, when Mr S and I held a party for our Doha friends, and revealed the gender in an epic game of pass the parcel (head over to my Instagram if you would like to see a video of the very moment the gender was revealed!).

Last night served to reaffirm to me how lucky we are to have such a strong support network of amazing friends who are sharing in our exciting journey out here. It makes giving birth away from home feel a lot less daunting!

What I've been wearing

This fortnight, I've been making an effort to squeeze into my most forgiving non-pregnancy dresses a few more times before I am no longer able to wear them. It will be a sad day when even the stretchy cotton and jersey ones are moved to the back of the cupboard to make way for pregnancy waistbands!

Products I've been using / baby bits

We received some gorgeous gifts at our party last night, and Mr Sunshine and I have also been on a bit of a baby shopping rampage. Some of my favourite items are shown below.

Chocolates by Elit and Lindt, and card by Hallmark from our friends Ash and Ryan; baby memories book by Hallmark from our friend Senay;  The Tummy Rub Butter by Mama Mio from our friends Ruth, Sheila and Talar; selection of dresses, baby grows and bibs by Mamas and Papas, bought by Mr Sunshine!

Link of the week

I have been going back through Hannah Michelak's pregnancy vlogs over the past few weeks, and I love her honesty about some of the battles she experienced during her pregnancy. It's really comforting to know that there is someone else out there who didn't have an entirely smooth ride. You can follow her journey, and keep up to date with the Michelak's family life post-baby here.

Final words

Thanks to everyone who made our gender reveal party so much fun last night and a huge congratulations to one of my favourite bloggers, Taylor Hearts Travel on the birth of her baby boy this week!

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I couldn't end this post without saying something about the atrocities that have occured over the past 24 hours in France, Iraq and Lebanon, as well as ongoing unrest in Syria, the earthquake in Japan and the hurricane in Mexico. As a mother-to-be, I am horrified when I pick up a paper these days and all I can think about is how we can all make this world a safer and happier place to bring our children up in. I'd love to hear your views on this.